Star line-up for gig nights

An award-winning guitarist hailed by critics as ‘the most original acoustic guitar player in Britain’ is set to open the 2016 series of concerts in Seahouses.

Clive Carroll is the first act of the year at St Cuthbert’s House, on Saturday, March 26.

He has been playing the guitar since he was a small boy, growing up in the midst of a musical family.

After graduating from Trinity College of Music in London with a first-class Honours degree, English guitar legend John Renbourn hailed his debut album as ‘a milestone in the journey of the steel-string guitar’.

He subsequently took Clive on the road with him and the pair toured the world together for several years, thus launching Clive’s solo performing career.

Jeff Sutheran, owner of St Cuthbert’s House, said: “Clive Carroll’s masterful compositions and arrangements, coupled with his versatility and unparalleled technical virtuosity, have rendered him one of today’s most admired and respected guitarists.

“We’re delighted to bring him to the Northumberland coast to play.”

The concert is the latest of the monthly house-concert gigs to take place in St Cuthbert’s House, which is a converted former church in Seahouses.

Owner Jill Sutheran said: “We’ve had some very special nights here. The beautiful venue gives a small audience a great opportunity to get very close to these wonderful musicians.

“We’re really excited by the schedule for 2016 – we have some amazing acts coming. These are musicians you could pay a lot to see in prestigious venues in the city and they’re playing here.”